Australia’s only female-led crypto exchange has announced a partnership with a top-ranked women tennis player, as it attempts to capitalise on a trend of more women holding and trading crypto.

Melbourne crypto exchange BTC Markets has announced the sponsorship of Croatian-Australian star Ajla Tomljanović, the No. 2 woman tennis player in Australia and No. 45 in the world.

“We are so proud to support the next wave of Australian talent with Ajla,” said BTC Markets chief executive Caroline Bowler.

“Cryptocurrency on BTC Markets is fast-moving, just like Ajla on the court. She encapsulates the promise and potential of Australia. We know our clients will be proud to cheer her on this summer.”

Bowler pointed to the exchange’s recent Investor Study Report for 2020-2021, which reported that BTC Markets’ female customer base grew by  172 per cent, compared to 79.5 per cent for men.

“Women may not trade as frequently as their male counterparts, but their average initial deposits on our platform are larger,” the report says.

Ajla Tomljanović
Ajla Tomljanović

“As more women invest (in crypto), the industry becomes more representative of the investment community as a whole. That in turn advances its reputation as an asset class that can sit alongside other traditional investments.”

Rival Sydney crypto exchange the Independent Reserve has noted the same thing, reporting in December that the percentage of Australian women who owned crypto doubled in 2021 from 10.3 per cent to 20 per cent. Overall crypto ownership grew more slowly, rising from 18.4 per cent to 28.8 per cent, the annual survey of 2,000 Aussies found.

The rise reflects “greater adoption across a more diverse cross-section of the Australian community and a general move to more mainstream recognition of digital assets as an investment vehicle,” the report said.

BTC Market’s Bowler said that more women getting involved in the industry is testament to the fact that “crypto is continuously breaking fresh ground”.

“The partnership between BTC Markets and Ajla Tomljanovic embodies that spirit of the next generation.”

Crypto companies have been in an arms race to secure sports endorsements, since both sectors’ fan bases apparently overlap quite a bit. Most of those sponsorships have involved male teams or athletes, but last month Crypto.com struck a deal with Angel City FC, a National Women’s Soccer League expansion team in Los Angeles, while Voyager Digital signed a sponsorship pact with the entire league.

 

‘I only partner with the best’

BTC Markets’ press release quoted Tomljanović as saying that, “When I’m training, I only want to partner with the best. The same rules apply as I start to learn more about crypto, so I’m excited to partner with Australia’s largest, home-grown crypto exchange, BTC Markets.”

Within the current Australian Open 2022 season, Tomljanović hopes to take steps towards a top-30 world ranking. She’s won four singles and three doubles titles on the International Tennis Federation Circuit.

The deal includes sponsoring Tomljanović at both the Sydney Tennis Classic – where she won in straight sets against Anna Schmiedlova in the opening round on Tuesday – and the Australian Open.

BTC Markets said it’d give customers a chance to win tickets to see Tomljanović play at both events, and to meet the 28-year-old in person as she prepares to compete across Australia this summer.

They’ll also collaborate on an exclusive limited edition “proof of attendance protocol”, (POAP), a type of non-fungible token that’s used to prove attendance or participation.

 

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